Save starving Gunnison Valley herds!

[Elkduds]

The sagebrush on the winter range are covered by deep snow. Thousands of deer and elk are in the valley bottoms, unable to reach food beneath deep snow. The valley, internationally famous for big game habitat and hunting, is also susceptible to massive winter die-offs, losing several years of herd growth each time a killer winter like the current one happens. 5 feet of snow just this week, and the sagebrush on the winter range is buried. If you care to make a stand to save deer and elk herds, the site is here. Please spread this news to those with a heart to save wildlife.

https://www.gofundme.com/save-gunnis...ncN5adlnvo%3D#

[six]

Does anyone know a contact person with RMEF to make them aware of the situation? Or maybe a contact person for the CPW to voice concerns of reinstating the feeding program?

[N2mywake]

The link doesn't work. did it get shut down?

[Elkduds]

Here is the link, or search Go Fund Me Gunnison wildlife:

https://www.gofundme.com/save-gunnison-wildlife#

Read the link RE CPW not taking action.

$5K raised in 1 day, it will take more!

[BrentLaBere]

That is a huge hit. We are having similar results of winters wrath around here. Our game and fish have said similar statements about feeding wildlife. Curious as to what can be done and the amount of animals they could possibly save?? How big of a herd are we looking at here?

[saddlesore]

That is a huge hit. We are having similar results of winters wrath around here. Our game and fish have said similar statements about feeding wildlife. Curious as to what can be done and the amount of animals they could possibly save?? How big of a herd are we looking at here?

Several thousand elk at least

The CPW won't do anything. Back in 08/09 winter,they denied there was a die off for two years after that. Private funding is the only way it will see feed being distributed. The deer take special feed. They can't live on a diet of alfalfa, grass hay or corn. If they are fed that, you find them laying dead with full stomachs, but stared to death

The CPW is seeking more money and expect to raise the resident elk tag cost by 100%. They will use this as a justification. The other concern I have is all those elk running on to private land during hunting season where no hunting is permitted and the CPW claims there is no way to harass them off. These same ranches will be the first to cry about crop damage.

Then you will have the wolf lovers trying to get the wolf introduce to cut down elk herds so they won' starve.

Make no mistake, our elk herds here in Colorado are controlled by politics and what will bring in the most money, not what is best for the elk herd. The entire CPW Commission is appointed by the governor. There are some good folks on there, but if they don' tow the line,they get replaced.

As for disease, the elk will die from disease or starvation.

Some might think I am a cynic, but I have seen this stuff for 40+ years

[N2mywake]

Vince I spoke to someone there in Gunnison via email today just checking in today. He said the elk were feeding with the horses there in the valley (around 500+), I hear the main worry is the deer right now.

[saddlesore]

Vince I spoke to someone there in Gunnison via email today just checking in today. He said the elk were feeding with the horses there in the valley (around 500+), I hear the main worry is the deer right now.

Yep, as I stated above, deer are harder to feed than elk

[JKaboom]

I am in the Pikes Peak Chapter of the RMEF and not sure exactly who to contact. Here is a link to our Colorado page: http://www.rmef.org/colorado I thought Gunnison area had a Chapter but the closest would probably be the Grand Junction Chapter. I will try to find out if there is a specific person that would be best but the Grand Junction Chapter is probably a good starting point.

The gofundme is probably going to be the fastest and most effective route as I am sure that is run directly from folks in Gunnison.

[JKaboom]

Elkduds - thank you for starting this post. I have made a contribution to this.

Also, regarding the RMEF - I have sent an email to my Chapter Chair who has reached out to our Regional Director who intern has passed this information to our headquarters.

Lastly, I have sent an email to the group I hunted with to get the word out as well.

[saddlesore]

Latest from CO CPW.

http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Gunn ... inter-2017

[N2mywake]

thanks Vince for posting. I'm glad they're doing something, even if it's under the guise of just getting them away from the highway.

[JKaboom]

I received an update regarding this campaign:
http://www.gofundme.com/save-gunnison-w ... aign=upd_n

From the organizer Conner:
Hello,
Thank you so much to all of you who donated to the feeding of our wildlife. Compassionate people like you all are what makes this world a beautiful place to live in. Unfortunately, the CPW decided not to feed. They started a baiting operation to bait them off of the highways, which worked temporarily. We have had a lot of warm weather and rain which is thankfully diminishing the snow that we had. The deer that survived long enough to see this warm weather are doing a lot better, and they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We still have winter to go, but we are over the hill and headed down the other side towards spring. I am refunding all donations, but wanted to thank everyone again for pitching in, you don't know what it means to us! Take care and thanks for your support.
Help spread the word!

[Elkduds]

Thanks for posting, JK! CPW only started "baiting" after the Gofundme campaign got underway, so the public action was a factor in that. I am not a fan of artificially sustaining big game herds. But we've eliminated much of their winter range (near Gunnison 26 miles of historic valley floor winter range lies beneath Blue Mesa Reservoir), chopped up migration corridors w highways, restricted fire that periodically improves habitat, and so forth. So when the going gets extraordinarily tough, stepping up is a good thing.

Gratitude to those who made a gift.

Congratulations and thanks to the Gunnison residents who stepped up for their and our herds. Flaushink is not that far off!

[wawhitey]

Saddlesore, you said that deer fed alfalfa in the winter will die with full stomachs. Ive heard similar things, but ive been winter feeding deer for about 5 years and never seen this. What i do see is the same deer coming into the feed year after year. I primarily feed alfalfa, with a little corn / oats thrown in for em. Never seen a problem.

[Gypsumreaper]

CPW also told me the same thing about deer and alfalfa they cannot process alfalfa hay. All it does is fills their stomachs and they poop it out.
The deer you are talking about must be getting feed elsewhere as well, surprisingly if you are saying they come back every year they have become dependent. Is it legal to feed wildlife in Washington?

[wawhitey]

Perfectly legal to feed deer and elk. And im not buying that they dont get any nutrition from it. The alfalfa fields around here are swarmed with deer all day every day when its green, then they eat it in fall from peoples bait piles. How do they survive then? Ive watched 2 diff bycks for several years that i feed in winter, and they eat growing alfalfa in summer. One was killed at 162 gross, the other is alive and we measured one of his sheds this year. Estimating an inside spread of 18" puts him just over 170 gross. Theyre obviously arent malnourished despite all the alfalfa they eat

[Gypsumreaper]

Green alfalfa is digestible for them, it's once it's dried they say they can't digest it due to rumen activity. [img]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170222/ddad6ed4dba57cd93f7c6e8f9e50b8e8.jpg[/img]

I'm no biologist and going by what a biologist told me, I'll take heir word as they are supposed to know.

[saddlesore]

Perfectly legal to feed deer and elk. And im not buying that they dont get any nutrition from it. The alfalfa fields around here are swarmed with deer all day every day when its green, then they eat it in fall from peoples bait piles. How do they survive then? Ive watched 2 diff bycks for several years that i feed in winter, and they eat growing alfalfa in summer. One was killed at 162 gross, the other is alive and we measured one of his sheds this year. Estimating an inside spread of 18" puts him just over 170 gross. Theyre obviously arent malnourished despite all the alfalfa they eat

In Colorado it is illegal to feed any wildlife

[Gypsumreaper]

Perfectly legal to feed deer and elk. And im not buying that they dont get any nutrition from it. The alfalfa fields around here are swarmed with deer all day every day when its green, then they eat it in fall from peoples bait piles. How do they survive then? Ive watched 2 diff bycks for several years that i feed in winter, and they eat growing alfalfa in summer. One was killed at 162 gross, the other is alive and we measured one of his sheds this year. Estimating an inside spread of 18" puts him just over 170 gross. Theyre obviously arent malnourished despite all the alfalfa they eat

In Colorado it is illegal to feed any wildlife

He's from Washington,

[JKaboom]

... CPW only started "baiting" after the Gofundme campaign got underway, so the public action was a factor in that...

I totally agree from what I had seen on the news as well.

I really thought that was good of the organizer to refund everything as they could have used is justifiably for other elk projects etc but they showed a lot of integrity there.